Air Transat flight attendants could strike as early as January 3, 2024, a move that would throw the winter travel season into chaos. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) announced that its 2,100 flight attendant members at Air Transat approved a strike mandate by a nearly unanimous vote of 99.8%, by far the highest tally in the history of the Air Transat component of CUPE. Union officials said the vote reflects the flight attendants’ exceptionally high level of dissatisfaction with their working conditions, particularly with wages and purchasing power. Following a dip during the COVID-19 pandemic, the overall outlook Read more
TSA
The Biden administration in Washington today (Jan. 4) extended the enforcement of its vaccine mandate for all foreign air travelers entering the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) policy was set to expire Jan. 8, according to CBS News, “but will now be enforced until at least April 10, based on a new emergency amendment issued by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).” The U.S. just recently announced that passengers on flights coming from The People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong and Macao would have to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test. Canada announced a similar Read more
Toronto Pearson is gearing up a very busy holiday season. UK airports could allow large bottles of liquids in carry-on bags by June of 2024. Amsterdam is asking rowdy visitors to stay home. U.S. airport gun seizures are up. And Air Transat resumes Montreal-Havana flights. My travel news roundup for Monday, Dec. 19, 2022. PEARSON PREPARES FOR BIG HOLIDAY CROWDS It may be the most wonderful time of the year, but the December holiday season also means peak crowds at Canadian airports. Toronto Pearson, Canada’s busiest air gateway, says it expects 130,000 customers to pass through its two terminals EVERY Read more
Canada isn’t ditching its mask rules for airplane and train passengers, at least not yet. A U.S. federal court judge on Monday quashed the U.S. masking law. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in the States then announced it would no longer enforce masking rules on airlines. Canadian Transport Minister Omar Alghabra on Tuesday gave no indication that the Trudeau government plans to drop its masking requirement for air and train passengers in Canada in the near future, according to the CBC. “We constantly consult our experts and whenever the advice that we receive changes because the circumstances change, we will Read more
Forbes has a great item today about what countries in Europe are open for visitors. I’ve also got items on the resumption of cruise ship travel in Canada, passengers behaving badly, the resumption of Transat flights to Italy, a nice story on Ottawa and news about suspended flights between Vancouver and India. WHAT COUNTRIES ARE OPEN IN EUROPE Many European Union countries, including the UK and Ireland, have entirely done away with COVID-19 travel restrictions for non-EU travelers. Others, however, still have restrictions in place. Continue reading the Forbes story here. AND WHAT’S OPEN IN THE CARIBBEAN, TOO Travelweek has Read more
